A Hero's Pride
Authors: April Angel,Milly Taiden
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold,
shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be
scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in
any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without
the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including
infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (
http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/
).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters,
places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are
not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or
dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
New York, NY 10456
A Hero’s Pride
Copyright © 2013 by Milly Taiden
Edited by Dee Carrell
Cover by Mina Carter
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be
used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except
in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden June 2013
~ Dedication ~
To Dee, Mina and Julie. Because without your
assistance, I wouldn’t feel as confident as I do.
To my sexy biters: You girls are my rock!
To my fantastic four: Iris, Sheri, Jennifer and Barb,
because you love me.
To all you readers: I LOVE YOU!
A Hero’s Pride
April Angel
Kayla glanced at the open email on her laptop screen. It was
a message from her best friend about the blind date she’d arranged for her. Why,
oh why did she say yes to getting set up? And with some guy that was the buddy
of her best friend’s boyfriend no less. She’d met a few of his friends, and
they were more the player type. Not her style at all. Then there were all the
times her mother had attempted to fix her up. The experiences left her wary of
the word “date.” She knew better than to allow herself to be talked into dates,
especially with her bad luck when it came to men. But in a moment of weakness,
she’d agreed.
Dammit.
There was no backing out at this point. Her date, Ryan
Mitchell, would make the effort to meet her halfway. According to Sue, her best
friend and perpetual matchmaker, Ryan was undergoing some kind of physical therapy.
He was going down to Florida for some medical tests anyway. It gave them the
opportunity to meet there before she headed over to her parent’s private island
off the Florida Coast, Isla Dorada—The Golden Island.
Beads of nervous sweat trickled down her back at the thought
of what was coming. She glanced around her cabin and sighed. All the girls were
still asleep. Their last day at the sleep-away camp had been a mixture of
happiness and sadness. Kayla eyed the luggage lined up by each bunk. Tomorrow
they were scheduled to leave, and she wouldn’t see them again until the
following summer.
Her shoulders slumped. Maybe she should rethink this whole blind-date
thing. Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her shorts. She stood and walked out
of the cabin before taking the call.
“Hey, mommy.”
“Kayla, really? ‘Hey, mommy.’ What are you, twelve?”
Well she felt twelve. She’d been sleeping in a cabin with
five twelve-year-olds. So maybe the childishness of the girls had rubbed off on
her.
“What’s up mom?”
Her mother hated every one of the volunteer activities Kayla
did. The daughter of a well-respected and wealthy Spanish family did not roll
around on the ground with kids for weeks during the summer. If it were up to
her mother, she’d be off in the French Riviera meeting a suitable man. The man
would no doubt be one of her father’s best friend’s sons and some dull
character to boot. Or, if her mother had her way, she’d be organizing charity
balls. Nothing as mundane as playing in the woods with a bunch of little girls.
“Kayla, tell me you’re done with your little…summer
project.”
If it were up to her mother, Daniella Santomas, Kayla would
have had a completely different life. But even though they didn’t approve of
some of her decisions, her parents were still there for her.
“Maybe I’ll stay here and live in the wild with the girls,
mom. That should be fun.”
She loved adding wood to the fire.
The sound of her mother’s exasperated inhale came across the
line.
“You know sometimes I think you say things just to see my
reaction.”
No, really?
“Anyhow, I’m calling to ask if you’re still going to do it?”
It had been her mother who called Sue and begged her to set
up Kayla with someone. According to Sue, her mom had insisted that Kayla meet a
new man before her birthday to bring her luck. Sue had laughed when she’d
described the conversation to Kayla. Her mother had given poor Sue so many
requirements that Sue had told Kayla’s mom she was better off buying Kayla a
dog—something her mom had not found amusing.
Kayla shook her head. “Yes, I am.” She didn’t divulge any of
the details of her planned date. So far all she’d set up was dinner at the
hotel they were both staying at overnight, not in the same suite of course, unless
things progressed in that direction out of their own accord. Sue had said Ryan
was a nice guy who was ready to start dating after a major life change while in
the military. So Kayla hoped he would be a good fit for her new dating motto:
No More Frogs.
“Well, I know this is a good start. And if nothing comes of
it, I hope you’ll consider seeing one of the men your father and I have been
trying to get you to meet.” Her mother sounded hopeful. Time to burst that
bubble.
“I don’t think so Mom. We’ve discussed this before, and I’m
not changing my mind.”
She’d gone ahead with the extreme blind date idea because
she was a divorced woman. She’d had the worst luck choosing her own men since
then. None of the frogs, and there had been plenty of them, had been worth her
time. The truth was that she’d promised herself that for her next birthday, the
big 3-0, she’d start things off on a clean slate. And what better way to wipe
the slate clean than to have the first date of her new age with a nice, hunky
man someone else had chosen for her?
“You’re not getting any younger, Kaylani Gabriella!” Ah
shit. Her mom had used her full name. Things were about to get ugly. Her mother’s
sharp intake of breath was followed by her usual rant. “Let me tell you that by
the time I was your age, I had already married your father, had you and your
brother, and was the CEO of my own company. I have tried so hard to help you meet
the right men…”
Kayla let her mother speak, completely ignoring what she
said. Instead she looked around the campsite. She’d miss the girls and the other
counselors. She’d been volunteering at the camp for a few years, and the day
the girls left always got to her.
“Mom… Moooom.” She grinned. Her mother wouldn’t appreciate
being interrupted in the middle of her you-need-to-get-yourself-a-man speech.
“I need to check on the girls. We’ll talk when I’m home. I love you,” she added,
hoping it would soothe her mother.
The hitch from the other end of the line made her smile. Her
mom always went sappy when Kayla told her she loved her. “I love you too, my
bebe. That is why I want to see you happy.” Her mom’s voice turned soft. “Good
luck with the blind date, and remember that no matter what happens, we are here
for you.”
Kayla shut off the phone. She’d had shitty luck when it came
to men, but her parents were great. Sure they were a little snobby, but nobody
was perfect.
* * *
Ryan Mitchell sat on his bed with a huff. He was sweaty and tired,
and he needed a shower. His prosthetic had been the only thing on his mind,
until now. For the past few days all he could think of was the blind date
coming up tomorrow. He stripped off his clothes and glanced down at his
prosthetic leg in the mirror.
Insecurity, something he’d never felt before he was injured,
filled him. Social functions had turned into gruesome exercises of pity. So
he’d stopped interacting with most people. And now his brothers had ganged up
on him. Even the army counselor had told him he needed to do something to move
on. Ever since he’d come home with a missing leg, he’d lost all interest in
dating. It had taken some serious nagging to get him to relent and allow a friend
of Cal’s to hook him up.
A knock on his door sounded just as he was reaching for a
towel. “Come in.”
His brother, Calvin, gave him the once over. “You all right,
bro?”
Cal sat on Ryan’s bed as if nothing were wrong, but Ryan
knew his brother wanted to make sure he was ok after all the exercise they’d
done playing basketball. Ryan was still trying to get used to the new leg, and
this was the first time he’d played hoops with the guys since getting it.
“I’m fine.” He clenched his jaw, hoping the pain would
diminish once he soaked in hot water. At least that’s what the physical
therapist had told him. He’d rather sew his lips shut than admit to being in
pain and end up in a hospital with his mother hovering over him again.
Cal grabbed a green, squishy stress-relief ball from the
bedside table, threw it up in the air, and caught it. Then he did it again,
settling back into Ryan’s pillows. Why Ryan decided to live next door to his
brother, he had no clue.
“Was there something else?”
“So…the blind date. That’s tomorrow after your tests, huh?”
Cal tossed, caught, and squeezed the ball in his grip. The soft material made a
whining sound with each crush of the rubbery material.
“Yeah.”
His brother stared up at the ceiling and continued to
torture the squishy ball. “So…I understand you don’t want her to know the
extent of your injuries. Not backing out, are you?”
Ryan might have tried to relieve Cal if he wasn’t lying on the
bed all sweaty. “No, now get off my bed. You’re putting your funk on my
blanket.”
Cal caught the ball in his hand and smirked. “Dude,
seriously, you need to get laid. The stick up your ass needs to be removed
soon. It’s messing up your game. You’re not going to relax until you get some.
I’ve heard she’s pretty, so don’t scare her by being all grumpy like you have
been lately.” He strolled to the door. When he reached the bedroom entrance, he
turned toward Ryan. “You sure you don’t need any painkillers?”
Ryan didn’t fault his brother for his concern. They’d all
had a hard time dealing with his situation when he’d come home half dead, but
it was getting old.
“I’m good.” Inhale. Exhale. Taking slow steps and ignoring
the shooting pain, he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door.
“Call me if you need anything,” Cal shouted. Ryan heard the
stomping of his brother’s heavy steps as he headed toward the front door.
Whenever his family brought a woman around for him to meet,
all he saw was the pity in their eyes. He wanted someone who didn’t care that
he’d been injured. His biggest reason for giving a blind date a shot was to see
if there was a remote possibility that some random woman could like him even
with his disability. It was time to put it to the test.
He didn’t want to live like a hermit. Besides, it was
worrying him that he wasn’t aroused anymore. At every turn his family had tried
to set him up with single females, but all he saw were sad looks. And those sad
looks reminded him of his loss. And that shoved all thoughts of getting
personal with any of those women down the drain. That was not what he wanted in
a relationship.
Kayla stepped out of the limo and into paradise. The hotel
was magnificent. Sunshine poured over the colorful Spanish style structure.
Massive gardens surrounded the building, and a whitewashed-stone walkway led to
the entrance. She stared at the hotel in front of her, wondering if it was a
mirage. After being in a small camp in the Adirondacks, this was heaven. Her
parents’ mansion was beautiful, but the view of this property was breathtaking.
Once she got her room key, she rushed up to the top level
where the deluxe suites were located. The hotel was top of the line, and Kayla was
used to carrying around evening wear for formal parties her parents hosted.
Thankfully she’d been prepared for any eventuality. Her in sweats and munching
on potato chips was probably not what her date expected. Talk about a skewed
first impression. Not what she wanted Ryan to see.
She’d made sure to be there early so she could have time to
prepare for the dreaded date. When the private butler assigned to her suite
opened the door, she smiled. Sumptuous was the word of the day. Antique chairs,
beautiful paintings, and a massive bed occupied the room. But that wasn’t the
reason for her smile. A glass wall showed off crystal-clear ocean water. In a
trance, she went straight to the balcony. The door slid open noiselessly.
Tension drained out of her as she stood there, falling in love with the view.
For long moments she just soaked in the salty sea air and sunrays.
The click of the door told her the butler had left her
alone. Thoughts of the night ahead made her stomach quiver. But she wouldn’t
change her mind. Oh no. She’d come too far, and she needed a clean slate, a
good experience to welcome her thirtieth birthday and view her life in a new
light. No more frogs. And Sue had assured her that Ryan was a really nice guy
she’d enjoy her post-birthday dinner with.
Kayla took the longest bath of her life, careful to wash
every inch of her skin until the scent of her favorite gel had embedded into
her flesh. She allowed her hair to dry into its natural long, dark curls. Then
she pulled out the underwear she’d spent an entire afternoon choosing. Once she
was dressed, heeled sandals and all, she made her way back to the bedroom. A bottle
of her favorite white wine had been left chilling in a bucket. Shaky nerves
made her reach for the bottle and fill a glass without a second’s hesitation.
Alcohol-induced courage was probably a bad idea, but she needed some way to get
through the next few hours.
It dawned on her that because she hadn’t opened the photo of
her dinner companion, she truly was going on a
blind
date. Good god.
What the hell was wrong with her? But it had completely slipped her mind. She
hadn’t thought of the entire thing as a big deal until now that she was ready
and waiting for the man to show up. For all she knew this guy may really look
like a frog. On that thought she gulped the rest of the wine in her glass. She called
herself all kinds of moron. Someone knocked on the door.
Oh hell. She couldn’t do it. Nope. She’d have to apologize
to the guy. She’d just tell him she’d had too much bad luck with men and even
the prospect of a blind date scared the life out of her. She was sure this was
the worst idea on the day after her birthday. A few quick breaths and another glassful—gulp—of
the tasty wine and she hustled to the door.
Jesus
. Kayla glanced up to meet the gaze of the
sexiest man she’d ever seen in her life. Oh, god. It was Chris Hemsworth! Well,
not really, but…
Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!
She was going on a dinner date
with Thor’s identical twin! Thank you, Sue. She had to give it to Sue, she’d
checked off every box when it came to Ryan’s looks. Sexy? Check. Intense eyes?
Check. Gorgeous mouth? Double check. And oh, yes, the body of a god? Hell yeah.
It had to be the best birthday present ever.
He was big and muscular and so sexy her entire body sizzled.
Dirty blond hair hung in a shaggy cut around his ears. Piercing blue eyes stared
down at her. For once in her life she had no trouble seeing herself as a woman
willing to give blind dates the thumbs up.
“Kayla?”
Lord, even his voice was sexy. Raspy and deep, it made her
want to do
really
dirty things to him. She nodded and stared some more.
Ryan’s smile widened, and he wanted to shout at the top of
his lungs. His cock worked! All it had taken was one look at the petite Latin
beauty, and he was hard as a rock. Fire shot through him when he saw the open
hunger in her eyes. She wore a clingy blue dress that showed off every luscious
curve. From the top of her dark hair to the bottom of her electric-blue-painted
toenails, she looked delectable.
“Hi, Ryan. Come…come in.” Her soft, sultry voice had just a
hint of a Spanish accent.
He strode into the living area, taking his time passing her
by. The room smelled of whatever she was wearing, a dark, musky scent that
added to his arousal. His cock throbbed in his trousers, urging him to get a
move on already. It had been so long since he’d been with a woman, and even
longer since he’d touched one as sexy as the dark-eyed nymph in the room with
him. Why would a woman that beautiful want a blind date? Men had to be throwing
themselves at her. Insecurity pushed its way into his mind. But he’d seen the
flare of arousal in her eyes when she opened the door. If nothing else, she
found him physically attractive. That was a good start.
“Did you…” She cleared her throat and glanced up at him. Her
whiskey-brown eyes slowly raked up and down his body. “Did you want to go down
to dinner?”
He wanted to do a lot of things. But before things went any
further, there was something he needed to try. He stepped toward her and saw
her eyes widen. Her mouth opened when she started to speak. Taking advantage of
her parted lips, he swooped down and kissed her. Drinking in her gasp, he
dipped his tongue into the sweet cavern of her mouth and explored. He threaded his
fingers into the soft, dark curls and held her flush against him. Electric currents
shocked every blood vessel to life. His cock stood to attention in his pants.
She tasted of honey, wine, and sexy woman. Her hands strayed up his chest to
curl around his neck. She moaned, a ragged little whimper, adding fuel to the
fire consuming him.
Ryan stepped away and glanced down at her flushed face. They
both were panting. She blinked her passion-clouded eyes at him and hastily stepped
back.
“What was that for?” The tremor in her voice warmed him.
Clearly the kiss had affected both of them more than he expected.
“I had to know if you tasted as good as you look.”
“Oh.” She licked her swollen lips and widened her eyes.
“And?”
“You taste better than anything I could’ve imagined.” He
grinned at the pink staining her cheeks.
“That’s um, good to know.” Her husky voice was like a smooth
caress over his body, the velvety tone sliding over his skin and seeping into
his pores. He passed a door and glanced at her king-sized bed. Shit, if he were
to follow through on his dirty thoughts he’d have her on that bed moaning
within moments. But he had to know how she’d react to his news before they went
any further.
She swallowed and stared at his crotch. Her eyes sparkled
with interest. Then she bit her full bottom lip, and he almost groaned. Did she
know what she was doing? When she looked up at him, desire was clear in her
gaze.
“We should eat.”
Hell yeah. He was ready to drop down to his knees and find
out just what she wore under that clingy dress, to taste the honey dripping
from her slit and lick her over and over again. The sound of his heartbeat
pounding wildly roared in his ears. All thoughts went straight to sex. With
Kayla. To laying her on the bed and pounding her until he heard her husky voice
scream his name. He watched the rise and fall of her chest under the thin
material of her dress. With each breath, her breasts rose high above the
neckline. The motion gave him an ample view of the full mounds and made his
hands itch to touch them. If they were going to eat—food—they needed to go. He held
out a hand for her to grab.
Tentatively she placed her small, tanned one into his.
“Then let’s eat,” he said and guided her toward the door.
They made their way to the pre-arranged dinner location. One
of the helpful staff members guided them to the spot where their dinner would
be served before leaving them alone. He hadn’t expected a table on a secluded
part of the beach within a few feet of the water. Soft candles and colorful
flowers sat at the center of the top-of-the-line setup.
“This is so beautiful,” Kayla whispered. Her voice blanketed
over him like melted caramel, her Latin accent thickened with her excitement.
Kayla wanted to pinch herself but was afraid she’d scare off
Ryan. Not only did he look good enough to eat, the man was a kissing god. He’d
just grabbed her and started a brushfire. It had rushed down from her lips to
her core and made her panties wet. She wiggled in her seat. Every time he gave
her another of those heated looks, the throbbing between her thighs increased.
She stared at the evening sky and sighed. When she glanced
at him he was staring at her lips. They really needed to talk or someone was
going to get attacked, and she had a feeling it would be him. As a form of
distraction, she placed the napkin over her lap and fiddled with it, taking her
sweet time before she glanced back up. It was a poor way to keep herself in the
chair and stop her brain from imagining tearing off his shirt and checking out
his naked body.
“Sorry, this is new to me.” She gulped. “Did you have to be
harassed into being here tonight too?” She joked, hoping the question would
calm her racing heart, her throbbing sex, and his hungry glances.
He chuckled. “Actually, I chose to be here. Didn’t you?”
She licked her lips and scrunched her nose. “No. I mean,
yes.” She rolled her eyes. “What I am trying to say is that I chose to be here,
but I’ve never been on a blind date before…so this is kind of weird.”
By the time she finished talking, she was feeling
embarrassed and self-conscious. What in the world possessed her to tell him
this was her first blind date?
“Don’t worry. This is my first blind date too.” He licked
his lips and stared at her mouth.
Damn. He wasn’t making it any easier for her to stop
thinking of sex. Lots of sex. With Thor-look-a-like Ryan. Her mind was clearly
in the gutter.
“Well, at least you don’t have a mother trying to set you up
with half the male population in the U.S. and Europe.” She grimaced. “I had to
agree to this, or my mother would have made me one of her surprise dinners
where every eligible bachelor she knew just happened to attend.”
He laughed. “My family hadn’t gone that far. And I would
have had major problems with them if they’d thrown me a dinner with a bunch of
men to choose from.”
She giggled. “You know what I mean.”
“I do, but I love the sound of your laugh.”
“Thank you… So why did your family set you up on a blind
date?”
He shrugged. “They think I’ve been alone long enough.”
“What do
you
think?”
He pierced her with his gaze. The smile slid off his face,
slowly. “I wouldn’t mind meeting someone I can start a relationship with. As
long as she is understanding to some things about me that are…different.”
She was about to ask what he meant when the waiter appeared
and filled her wine glass again. She waited until he was gone before going back
to the conversation.
“So I understand you’re in the military?”
Strings of soft lights turned on above their heads, giving a
romantic glow to the evening. “I am.”
That was it? Some conversation. “What do you do exactly?”
She didn’t know anything particular about his position, only that he’d been in
Afghanistan and had returned home injured.
“I’m in the army. Special Forces.” He glanced away from her.
She noticed a gloominess take over his face. “At least I used to be.”
“So were you discharged?”
“Not exactly.”
She stared at his face. He clenched his jaw hard. She wondered
why it bothered him to answer such simple questions.
Curiosity. The worst of her personality traits made itself
known. She had a hard time letting things go and tended to ask a million and
one questions until she was satisfied she understood the situation. Her parents
nicknamed her Snoopy because she just kept digging until she had found out
everything she wanted on whatever interested her. “So what exactly was it?”
“I’m out on medical leave.”
Oh, yes. The injury that had brought him home. And she was
about to start her inquisition. He would probably tell her off soon, but she
was way too interested not to ask the stuff popping into her head. “So what
happened?”
He jerked back to face her. Was that anger in his eyes? No,
it was something else. Distress?
He gulped and looked at her straight in the eyes. “I lost my
leg.”
“Okay.”
Did that mean he couldn’t have his same position? Special
Ops sounded kind of…well kind of badass. But maybe just being able to walk
didn’t mean he could do the job. Maybe he still wasn’t physically capable of
doing the job anymore. “Sue did say that you had suffered an injury. But why
can’t you go back? Did they find you mentally unstable?” She asked, bewildered.
“Why couldn’t you do your job again?”
He frowned. “No, I’m mentally stable. But as I said, I lost
my leg.” Leaning forward on the table, he continued to stare her down. “I have
a prosthetic on my right side from below my knee.”
“Okay. So are prosthetics not allowed in the Special
Forces?”
“I don’t think in my team it would be. The group is under a
lot of physical pressure so we needed to be in top physical shape.”